Last month Lars Boggild posted a blog suggesting universities should think of themselves asanchor institutions in our communities. Interestingly, this is one of the missions of our RECODE work here at the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation (3ci). Like Lars, we see the potential that universities can play in contributing to sustainable, vibrant and diverse communities. But to make this shift, universities need to utilize all their resources and think more broadly about their mission. This approach has sometimes been referred to as “the eds and meds”. To date, it is mainly US-based institutions that have taken up this challenge. It’s time to make this movement more prevalent in Canada.